Sebastien Ogier has won a sixth straight World Rally Championship as a torrid final day of Rally Australia prematurely ended the hopes of his two possible challengers.

The Frenchman started a wet day three needing to hold his spot ahead of Thierry Neuville, while overnight rally leader Ott Tanak also remained a chance of jumping him if disaster struck for the Ford driver.

Instead it was that pair that failed to finish, with Neuville clipping a tree with three stages remaining and Tanak running off the road on the penultimate stage.

Neither were able to recover, with the dual retirements assuring Ogier another title regardless of how he fares on the season’s final passage.

Toyota’s Jari-Matti Latvala holds a 32.1 second lead over New Zealand Hyundai driver Hayden Paddon and Mads Ostberg (Citroen) a further 21.6 seconds back in third.

The title contending pair’s misfortune capped a rally that wasn’t short on drama, with stray tractors, rogue spectators and a final-day downpour combining to push drivers to the limits on the 13th and final leg of the series.

But as rivals fell around him the Frenchman held firm to edge within three world titles of the sport’s most successful driver Sebastien Loeb.

“It’s even hard to keep the car on the road while driving so slow,” he said of the challenge before news of his triumph filtered through.

“I’m just trying to go through and even this is difficult. It’s crazy.”

Ogier will join Citroen next year after two successful seasons with Ford, with Neuville (Hyundai) and Tanak (Toyota) again forced back to the drawing board after coming closer than ever before to toppling their tormenter.